As Mariupol residents flee, Russian forces hunt for Ukrainian fighters
People who flee Mariupol and Melitopol as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, wait around an evacuee cargo truck at a collecting point in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine April 1, 2022. Picture taken April 1, 2022. REUTERS/Stringer
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine, April 2 (Reuters) - As Dmytro Kartavov and his family joined thousands of people trying to flee the bombed-out city of Mariupol, one additional obstacle awaited as Russian troops sought to identify anyone fighting with Ukrainian forces defending the city.
"They stripped the men naked, looked for tattoos," said Kartayov, a 32 year-old builder, who said the troops paid particular attention to men's knees.
"I work, I do repairs, naturally my knees - these are working knees. They say - (you) climbed trenches, dug, and the like."
Speaking in a supermarket that has been turned into a reception centre in the Ukrainian-held town of Zaporizhzhia some 200 km from Mariupol, he told Reuters the family left the besieged city to the west, reaching the port of Berdyansk by bus before crossing into Ukrainian-held territory on foot.
On the way, Kartavov said Russian soldiers checked men for signs they had been fighting with Ukrainian forces.
"They checked my forearms, looked at the hands, checked if I was shooting, whether or not there will be a callus here on the arms," he added.
Russia's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the searches.
Mariupol, an industrial port city close to the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic, had a pre-war population of around 400,000, but the city has been devastated by regular bombardment since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Fierce resistance by Ukrainian forces including regular army troops and members of the Azov Battalion, a far-right militia now part of Ukraine's National Guard, have held off the assault for weeks, rejecting Kremlin demands to lay down their arms.
The fighting has killed around 5,000 civilians, according to city authorities, and forced thousands to flee either by private car or in organized convoys of buses into eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists are in control, or to the north and west to territory controlled by the Ukrainians.
As the convoys try to leave, checks to identify fighters have become a regular part of the ordeal, witnesses said.
Vladimir Andreev, a 63-year-old pensioner from Mariupol and former employee of Metinvest steel company, travelled in a separate group that included his wife and their friend, Valentina Kirichek.
Andreev said the party was stopped around 17 times at various Russian checkpoints.
"At each checkpoint we were stopped ... We were checked, undressed. They checked our shoulders, arms ... (to see) if I had been taking part in the fighting."
Post from DarkWeb!
ReplyDeleteA NATO lieutenant general has been trapped within Mariupol by the surrounding Russian armies!
This NATO general has been the commander in chief of the Ukraine national guards & the Azov battalion in eastern Ukraine after the 2014 Donbass uprisings.
The Ukrainian/NATO have been going all-out to try extracting him out of the Mariupol war zone when it is clear that the Russian would forcefully overrun Mariupol soon.
Many helicopter airlift attempts have been made w/o success. All these helicopters flying low from the Azov sea towards Mariupol have been shot down by Russian ground to air missiles - indicating that the Russians know what they r trapping. It also fits very well with the total surrender of Mariupol as demanded by the Russians. With the surrender, the active role of this NATO lieutenant general would be exposed. & NATO would never allow that to happen!
The live capturing of a top NATO general in Mariupol would totally destroy their hypocritical humanitarian claims in Donbass. & the active participation of NATO in training/coordinating the Nazified Ukrainian army would have an acute & drastic reactions within the whole EU, especially Germany!
The recent missile attacks on the Belgorod oil depots within the Russian territory & 20km away from the Ukrainian border is one of the planned diversion for the general's escape. But the Russian ain't buying into that diversion, with no loose concentration on anything trying to fly out of Mariupol!
The truth would be out soon - even if that general killed himself & has the body burns to ashes!
Those fleeing Mariopol are women, children and elderly men.
ReplyDeleteThe real Mariopol defenders are waiting for the Russians in the city.
Even an RPG-7 - 40 year old design - is perfectly capable of taking out a Russian T-90, fired down from a 2nd floor window.
A large pile of many, many thousands of Russian Cargo 200 will be going back to Moscow before this is over.
Ukrainian child - Grandpa, why are the invading Russian monsters called T-90 and T-70 , what does "T" stand for ?
Ukranian Grandpa - "T" stands for "Target"
Slava Ukraini !
Glory to Ukraine !
Yaloh, know nothing fart AGAIN!
DeleteDidn't yr fart filled sources tell u that the nationalist Ukrainians couldn't handle the pommie NLAW anti tank line of sight missile if they ever given one?
They r so poorly trained that most of these anti tank missiles were fired from very close range - less than the required 25m minimum distance in order for the explosive mechanism to activate?
Thus, none of them achieved any expected destructive power when they hit the tanks after firing from the 2nd floor window!
Ooop… u have been conned kaw-kaw by those PS-ed wrecked tank carcasses scattering all-over Ukraine soil! They r Russian tanks owned & operated by the Ukrainians! Wakakakaka… thus that comedian president is asking now for more SU-era tanks to supplement his depleted stocks while saving on new operational trainings that the soldiers have zilch time to spare!
The 'T' insignia?
Don't u know that yr uncle Sam & auntie pommie also using that same T to name that tank models?
Target, indeed.
Wakakakakaka…
DeleteMfer, didn't u see those CNN/BBC news about those evacuees from the Mariupol via the approved humanitarian channels?
Ain't there many adult males within the pacts?
"Those fleeing Mariopol are women, children and elderly men"
U missed out those who were NOT nationalist Ukrainians!
Unless yr altarized western MSM r showing fake reports & lies!
Those nazified nationalist Ukrainians would be fighting till there r no more of them alive in Mariupol. The Russians WOULDN'T let them walk out alive!